Total pages in book: 124
Estimated words: 115838 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 579(@200wpm)___ 463(@250wpm)___ 386(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 115838 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 579(@200wpm)___ 463(@250wpm)___ 386(@300wpm)
thirty-six
Zane
“Okay, so the guys have all sent over their statements to Ken,” Jaxon announces. “The only ones we didn’t reach out to were the five in question.” I nod my head at him as he comes back to the table and sits down. “Ken said the team just released their statements.”
Everyone reaches for their phones. As I open mine, I see a picture of me and Ken on the day he announced I was going to be head coach.
“We care about what happens on the ice, not off the ice. Timothy’s piece was misleading, and he should be ashamed of his words.”
“I can’t wait for the next time I see Timothy,” Jaxon says, and I look up at him.
I put my phone down and look up at Manning. “If you have a minute, Manning.” I take the napkin off my lap, placing it on the other side of my phone.
“What?” Victoria’s head snaps to me. “Why would you want to do that?” She looks up at me as I stand. “You literally just came out of the battle unscathed, so why would you rush back in there?”
“It’s fine,” I assure her, and she glares at me. “Oh, when I say it, it’s not okay, but you saying it fifty million times is okay.”
“I don’t make the rules, Zane.” She throws up her hands. “You will be on your best behavior.”
She points to her father.
“Are you going to give me the code for the lock on your bedroom door?” He smiles big at her, knowing she probably will not. “That is your answer.”
“Fine, I’ll give it to you,” she concedes, “but only after you guys finish talking—”
“Don’t fall for that,” Evelyn advises, “get the code before anything.”
“Mom,” she snaps out and I bend to kiss her lips.
“You don’t need that room,” I remind her softly, “give up the code.”
“That’s my room.” She points to herself. “It’s my property.”
“In their house,” I tell her.
“I thought you were on my side.” She shakes her head and I kiss her through my smile. “I guess I was wrong.”
I walk to the living room, following Manning, and when he takes a seat, I sit in the seat in front of him. “I wanted to sincerely apologize to you,” I start to say. “When we met the first time, I had every intention of not pursuing anything with Victoria.” I put my elbows on my knees and intertwine my hands together. “I just couldn’t stay away from her. It was a force bigger than even I knew.”
“Why now?” he asks me. “What makes now different that you are willing to give up your bachelorhood for her?”
“She’s everything you could want in a woman. She’s kind, she’s funny, she’s beautiful, and she makes me laugh like no one else has ever made me laugh. My main focus in my life has been hockey. Getting to this point in my career. I didn’t have time nor did I want to make the time for it. But with her—” I look down. “I’d give it all up to have her.”
“If you hurt her,” he warns me.
“For the record, she’s left me more times than I have left her.”
“Good.” He nods. “Keeps you on your toes.”
“That she does,” I agree with him. “I promise to keep her safe.” His eyebrows go up at this. “I mean from now on.” I shake my head. “We should have expected it.”
“I have to agree with Nico, someone is out to get you. You have my daughter now in the crossfire.”
“She shouldn’t even be there,” I admit and for the first time today, I sound defeated. I know I should be holding strong but the articles that have come up since this morning are horrible.
“I know that and you know that.” He points to himself and then me. “Now it’s time for you to tell them that.”
“If I see Timothy,” I mention the veteran reporter who leaked the story, “I’m going to throat punch him.”
Manning laughs. “That’s what he wants. They want you to fuck up. The best thing you can do is put out a statement and then you say nothing.”
“I’ll take your advice on that.” I nod to him and Victoria comes into the room.
“Uncle Nico says the wheels have to be up in thirty minutes,” Victoria reports, walking into the room. “Which means you have to go.” She makes a sad face. “It was nice to see you.” She makes her way over to him, hugging him. “Next time, maybe you can stay a few days.”
“Next time?” He exhales. “There will not be a next time, Tori, because you will be telling us if you are dating anyone new.”
“There is not going to be a next time.” The words come out of my mouth before I can stop them, and Manning smirks when he looks over at me while Victoria chuckles.